School Tours & Tickets

This NAILE Teacher Day is now full. We encourage you to check below for other educational opportunities at NAILE.

The North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE)—the nation’s largest purebred livestock show—is a great opportunity to demonstrate to students where many of our foods and textile fibers come from, how farmers (including youth!) care for animals each day, and what it takes to be one of the best cows or sheep in the world! The NAILE could be considered the Olympics for livestock, and major contests are scheduled nearly every day during the two-week show.

The Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville fills with excitement as thousands of exhibitors and their animals compete in showrings with the most knowledgeable judges in the industry. Students who have never visited a farm will find the showrings and the bustling “barns” filled with animals being groomed, fed, and milked fascinating.  

The Children’s Barnyard offers up-close encounters with dozens of species of farm animals, including cattle, pigs, llamas, goats, sheep, and hatching chicks. Plus, there’s a new interactive area for youth at the 2024 NAILE—a fun, farm-themed obstacle course designed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to teach about Kentucky’s farm-to-table heritage in the North Wing Lobby. The NAILE is a giant classroom like no other!  

School groups are invited on the following days, November 8–10 and 15–20, and admission is FREE for students and chaperones (number of chaperones not to exceed number of students) when booked in advance. After booking a tour, you can email us to request an itinerary of self-guided experiences for the day. Please contact Stephanie Seber at stephanie.seber@kyvenues.com for help in planning a great day at the NAILE!

4-H and FFA student groups looking to attend the North American Championship Rodeo November 14-16 can do so at a discounted rate. Use the link below to fill out the form.